have a policy of simply calling it something else if I vary from a very traditional recipe. When I make something according to tradition, I'll call it that. If I change an ingredient, I make up a name,

You bet, I learned that lesson decades ago. People have a pre-conceived
notion of what "mashed potatoes" are, and can get quite grumpy if potato skins, garlic, even pesto, shows up in them, I never call them mashed potatoes any more.

Another rule in my house was, if you ask what a particular ingredient is in a dish, and you get no response, you are not allowed to ask again. That was during a period of time when we were eating a lot of critters from the wild.